Craters of the Moon National Monument - Moonset

My plan for the evening was to get some shots of the night skies.  I drove to Inferno Cone and climbed to the top.  I hadn't tried any shots of the moon or really low light shots and thought it would be a good place to give it a shot.  The view was amazing.

Big South Butte 25 miles away.

The top of Inferno Cone.

The top of Inferno Cone. The light green mound is called a kipuka. There are a couple in the Park.  They're sticking out above the lava flows and apparently have their own ecosystems, having been isolated from the surrounding from the surrounding area by the lava flows.

Being on the top of the cone was an interesting experience.  Normally sunset is just one of those things you don't notice, even if you're outside.  As the sun set, I noticed it getting noticeably darker.  It was almost like someone was using a dimmer switch and turning down the light.


 

I didn't have any previous experience trying this setup shooting the moon.  I think the pictures turned out okay, but I think I'd also like a bit larger lens.

I spent several hours up there as the sun set, returning to my car only after dark.  I was hoping to get the moon setting over the mountains, but there wasn't enough light for my lens and I wasn't familiar enough with my camera to get anything better.  Still, I'm pretty pleased with the image.